NEW DELHI: Canada skipper
Saad Bin Zafar
on Friday acknowledged that the pitch at the Nassau County ground slowed down in the second half of their
T20 World Cup
match against Ireland, which they managed to win by 12 runs.
Canada posted 137 for 7 in the first innings and then restricted Ireland to 125 for seven, securing their maiden victory in the tournament.
Zafar attributed their success to the decision to include an extra spinner, praising the performances of both himself and Junaid Siddiqui.
The pitch at this venue has been under scrutiny for its challenging batting conditions, with low-scoring games being the norm, especially with the highly anticipated clash between India and Pakistan scheduled for Sunday.
"The wicket got a bit slow today, so it worked to our advantage. We gambled with an extra spinner and I feel both myself and Junaid (Siddiqui) bowled really well," Zafar said at the post-match presentation.
The pitch at this venue has been in spotlight for being tough to bat on, since it has produced very low-scoring games with the mega clash between India and Pakistan coming up on Sunday.
Zafar, meanwhile, hoped that Canada will be able to carry the momentum into their next game against Pakistan.
"One game at a time, we need to enjoy this win and come back strong against Pakistan. We are here to play positive cricket," Zafar said while talking about his team's show.
Describing their win as a "proud moment", Zafar praised his side for a unified show.
"(It's a) very proud moment for the team. The way Kirton and Movva batted, we knew we had a good total to defend. We needed a good performance from the bowling unit and I am so proud of my bowlers for putting their hand up and delivering," he said.
Ireland skipper Paul Stirling, whose batting struggles continued with a meager score of nine, acknowledged that his team was not at their best and hoped for improvement in all aspects of the game.
"(It was a) tough loss, we weren't at the races today. The target was gettable and we didn't think we'd struggle too much," he said.
"We were off in all three facets today, we need to show a better game when we go to Miami and Florida. We don't want to look too far into the future, we've got USA next," Stirling added.
Nicholas Kirton, who played a match-winning knock of 49 off 35 balls, emphasized the importance of Canada bouncing back after their heavy defeat against the USA in the tournament opener.
He found the pitch to be generally good for batting, with only a small area in the middle causing some inconsistency.
"Bouncing back from the first game was important. Trust me, it wasn't that easy. (I) just tried to get in, get the pace of the wicket. Honestly it wasn't that bad. There was an area in the middle of the wicket that was a bit up and down, but otherwise it was a good wicket to bat on," he said.
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"(It is) very good to get our first win in the World Cup. Hopefully we can continue from strength to strength. Our next focus is Pakistan. Two spinners bowled very well (as there was a) bit of purchase on offer," he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
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